 |
 |

Antidepressant Use and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality Among Postmenopausal Women in the Women's Health Initiative Study
Jordan W. Smoller, MD, ScD;
Matthew Allison, MD, MPH;
Barbara B. Cochrane, PhD, RN;
J. David Curb, MD, MPH;
Roy H. Perlis, MD, MSc;
Jennifer G. Robinson, MD, MPH;
Milagros C. Rosal, PhD;
Nanette K. Wenger, MD;
Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, PhD
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(22):2128-2139.
Background Antidepressants are commonly prescribed medications, but their effect on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality remains unclear.
Methods Prospective cohort study of 136 293 community-dwelling postmenopausal women in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI). Women taking no antidepressants at study entry and who had at least 1 follow-up visit were included. Cardiovascular morbidity and all-cause mortality for women with new antidepressant use at follow-up (n = 5496) were compared with those characteristics for women taking no antidepressants at follow-up (mean follow-up, 5.9 years).
Results Antidepressant use was not associated with coronary heart disease (CHD). Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use was associated with increased stroke risk (hazard ratio [HR],1.45, [95% CI, 1.08-1.97]) and all-cause mortality (HR,1.32 [95% CI, 1.10-1.59]). Annualized rates per 1000 person-years of stroke with no antidepressant use and SSRI use were 2.99 and 4.16, respectively, and death rates were 7.79 and 12.77. Tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) use was associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality (HR,1.67 [95% CI, 1.33-2.09]; annualized rate, 14.14 deaths per 1000 person-years). There were no significant differences between SSRI and TCA use in risk of any outcomes. In analyses by stroke type, SSRI use was associated with incident hemorrhagic stroke (HR, 2.12 [95% CI, 1.10-4.07]) and fatal stroke (HR, 2.10 [95% CI, 1.15-3.81]).
Conclusions In postmenopausal women, there were no significant differences between SSRI and TCA use in risk of CHD, stroke, or mortality. Antidepressants were not associated with risk of CHD. Tricyclic antidepressants and SSRIs may be associated with increased risk of mortality, and SSRIs with increased risk of hemorrhagic and fatal stroke, although absolute event risks are low. These findings must be weighed against quality of life and established risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality associated with untreated depression.
Author Affiliations: Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (Drs Smoller and Perlis); Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla (Dr Allison); Department of Family & Child Nursing, University of Washington, Seattle (Dr Cochrane); Department of Geriatric Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu (Dr Curb); Departments of Epidemiology & Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City (Dr Robinson); Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester (Dr Rosal); Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia (Dr Wenger); and Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York (Dr Wassertheil-Smoller).
CiteULike Connotea Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit Technorati Twitter
What's this?
RELATED ARTICLES
In This Issue of Archives of Internal Medicine
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(22):2044.
FULL TEXT
Antidepressant Use, Depression, and Poor Cardiovascular Outcomes: The Chicken or the Egg?: Comment on "Antidepressant Use and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality Among Postmenopausal Women in the Women's Health Initiative Study"
Christopher OConnor and Mona Fiuzat
Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(22):2140-2141.
EXTRACT
| FULL TEXT
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
 |
Depression and Risk of Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies
Dong et al.
Stroke 2012;43:32-37.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
The sigma-1 receptor: a molecular chaperone for the heart and the soul?
Ehmke
Cardiovasc Res 2012;93:6-7.
FULL TEXT
Depression and Incident Stroke in Women
Pan et al.
Stroke 2011;42:2770-2775.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Depression and Risk of Stroke Morbidity and Mortality: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review
Pan et al.
JAMA 2011;306:1241-1249.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Antidepressant use and risk of adverse outcomes in older people: population based cohort study
Coupland et al.
BMJ 2011;343:d4551-d4551.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Use of antidepressants for 12 weeks or longer is associated with a reduced incidence of heart attack in depressed adults
Ziegelstein
Evid. Based Ment. Health 2011;14:67-67.
FULL TEXT
Antidepressant medication use and future risk of cardiovascular disease: the Scottish Health Survey
Hamer et al.
Eur Heart J 2011;32:437-442.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Emerging Risk Factors in Women
Rexrode
Stroke 2010;41:S9-S11.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Antidepressant Medication Use for Primary Care Patients with and without Medical Comorbidities: A National Electronic Health Record (EHR) Network Study
Gill et al.
J Am Board Fam Med 2010;23:499-508.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Depression and cardiovascular disease: Selected findings, controversies, and clinical implications from 2009
DAVIDSON and KORIN
Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 2010;77:S20-S26.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
How women stay feminine may be in the hands of a single gene
Brown
Menopause Int 2010;16:2-4.
FULL TEXT
Antidepressant Use and Cardiovascular Risk in Postmenopausal Women
JWatch Women's Health 2010;2010:2-2.
FULL TEXT
|